The vast majority of scientists are intelligent, decent people who have devoted their life to the pursuit of truth. The vast majority of politicians (professional and amateur) are unintelligent, self seeking, liars.

Anon @7.15 One of the emails did say their rejections were using advice from the Information Commissioner, but that doesn't change the fact that deleting info that is subject to an FoI request is illegal. Feeling the need to hide it also suggest they felt they were likely to have to release it eventually, too. It's worth noting that IC "advice" is a formal stage of the process and can be appealed.

Anon @ 7:03It's touching to know you have such blind faith in the altruism of scientists! If anything these emails show they are just as flawed as anyone else. You're right that many politicians are dishonest, but that doesn't change the facts of this case.

PC - keep the language appropriateconsensus - don't rock the boat. Who cares is you're talking shite as long as everybody else agrees. No dissent will be tolerated.Not a lot of actual mathematical ability shown in analysing the methodology or the results in evidence.

We see exactly the same methods being used by the climate-change lobby that the tobacco control lobby used: manipulation of data, cherry-picking, concealment of the 'wrong' results, refusal to debate the 'science', ostracism of those who refuse to accept the 'orthodoxy', in short, the end justifying some very dodgy means.